DUBAI // A driver who tried to kill the 71-year-old employer who fired him lost an appeal against a five-year prison sentence.

Syrian M D, 30, tried to throttle his former boss with wire.

Dubai Criminal Court was told that on August 10 last year, at about 9pm, the driver waited until his victim left his office and headed to his car in the building’s car park before launching an attack.

In court last May, the Syrian denied the charge of attempted murder and claimed that he had merely been acting in self-defence after his former employer had assaulted him.

The issue escalated after the driver had asked several times to be reinstated following the termination of his employment contract.

Jordanian A K rejected his requests.

“I fired M D because he was not committed to his job,” said A K.

“Then he started coming to my office every once in a while requesting financial assistance and to get his old job back.

“I was getting into my car when M D came with his hands behind his back, then he demanded I reinstate him immediately – which I refused.”

The Syrian then wrapped wire around the man’s neck and tried to choke him. A K resisted, gouging his attacker’s eyes and punching his face until he managed to break free.

“When he failed to strangle him, M D pulled out a sharp, metal object from his pocket and attacked the victim, repeating that he wanted to kill A K even if he was sentenced to death for it,” said police officer A M, 37, adding that the boss offered the defendant Dh2,000 to stop the assault but the Syrian refused.

The attacker then stole the victim’s two wallets and a mobile phone before fleeing in the victim’s Mercedes, which he parked nearby before taking his own car home.

The Syrian changed his clothes and put them in a bag alongside the metal object and the electrical wire used in the attack and threw them in to a sewage hole.

A medical report said that the victim suffered severe injuries to the face, which left him with an eight per cent permanent disability.

The Syrian will be deported after his jail term.

salamir@thenational.ae

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

COMPANY PROFILE

Company name: Revibe
Started: 2022
Founders: Hamza Iraqui and Abdessamad Ben Zakour
Based: UAE
Industry: Refurbished electronics
Funds raised so far: $10m
Investors: Flat6Labs, Resonance and various others

COMPANY PROFILE

Company name: Almouneer
Started: 2017
Founders: Dr Noha Khater and Rania Kadry
Based: Egypt
Number of staff: 120
Investment: Bootstrapped, with support from Insead and Egyptian government, seed round of
$3.6 million led by Global Ventures

The specs

Engine: 6-cylinder, 4.8-litre
Transmission: 5-speed automatic and manual
Power: 280 brake horsepower
Torque: 451Nm
Price: from Dh153,00
On sale: now

How Beautiful this world is!

Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.

A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.

Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.

A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.

On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.

The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.

Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.

The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later. 

Kat Wightman's tips on how to create zones in large spaces

 

  • Area carpets or rugs are the easiest way to segregate spaces while also unifying them.
  • Lighting can help define areas. Try pendant lighting over dining tables, and side and floor lamps in living areas.
  • Keep the colour palette the same in a room, but combine different tones and textures in different zone. A common accent colour dotted throughout the space brings it together.
  • Don’t be afraid to use furniture to break up the space. For example, if you have a sofa placed in the middle of the room, a console unit behind it will give good punctuation.
  • Use a considered collection of prints and artworks that work together to form a cohesive journey.
Expert advice

“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”

Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles

“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”

Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre 

“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”

Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
 

How to avoid getting scammed
  • Never click on links provided via app or SMS, even if they seem to come from authorised senders at first glance
  • Always double-check the authenticity of websites
  • Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for all your working and personal services
  • Only use official links published by the respective entity
  • Double-check the web addresses to reduce exposure to fake sites created with domain names containing spelling errors
The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat

A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro
Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books 

Confirmed bouts (more to be added)

Cory Sandhagen v Umar Nurmagomedov
Nick Diaz v Vicente Luque
Michael Chiesa v Tony Ferguson
Deiveson Figueiredo v Marlon Vera
Mackenzie Dern v Loopy Godinez

Tickets for the August 3 Fight Night, held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, went on sale earlier this month, through www.etihadarena.ae and www.ticketmaster.ae.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

Director: Francis Lawrence

Stars: Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage, Viola Davis, Tom Blyth

Rating: 3/5

ANATOMY OF A FALL

Director: Justine Triet

Starring: Sandra Huller, Swann Arlaud, Milo Machado-Graner

Rating: 5/5

Adele: The Stories Behind The Songs
Caroline Sullivan
Carlton Books

MATCH INFO

Al Jazira 3 (O Abdulrahman 43', Kenno 82', Mabkhout 90+4')

Al Ain 1 (Laba 39')

Red cards: Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain)

Sweet Tooth

Creator: Jim Mickle
Starring: Christian Convery, Nonso Anozie, Adeel Akhtar, Stefania LaVie Owen
Rating: 2.5/5

Stage result

1. Pascal Ackermann (GER) Bora-Hansgrohe, in 3:29.09

2. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto-Soudal

3. Rudy Barbier (FRA) Israel Start-Up Nation

4. Dylan Groenewegen (NED) Jumbo-Visma

5. Luka Mezgec (SLO) Mitchelton-Scott

6. Alberto Dainese (ITA) Sunweb

7. Jakub Mareczko (ITA) CCC

8. Max Walscheid (GER) NTT

9. José Rojas (ESP) Movistar

10. Andrea Vendrame (ITA) Ag2r La Mondiale, all at same time


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